Lowland League | Spartans suffer Heart-break in Kelty

Posted on Wednesday, August 28th, 2019

The Spartans lost their first league match on the road under the Fife lights on Tuesday night when they lost 5-0 to Kelty Hearts at New Central Park.

Having been notified whilst heading over the Queensferry Crossing that the appeal over Leeroy Mokolora’s red card had been unsuccessful, Dougie Samuel was forced into a potential squad reshuffle ahead of kick-off.

Things were going well in the opening quarter of an hour against the big spenders from the Kingdom with patient passing play seeing Spartans make inroads towards the Kelty danger area. One such move created an opportunity from a 20 yard free-kick that saw Dean Hoskins force keeper Ben MacKenzie into a one hand push over the bar.

A corner at the other end however saw Murray Carstairs rise in the box and head back across goal to put the hosts a goal to the good.

Spartans rallied and they almost picked out an equaliser when Murrell narrowly scooped the ball wide of the target following neat Hoskins play.

The half time team talks took a different slant when, six minutes from the gathering in the sheds, Kelty doubled their lead. A hoof up the paddock saw Nathan Austin win the footrace and head the ball over the advancing Blair Carswell into the empty net.

HT: Kelty Hearts 2-0 The Spartans

A quarter of an hour passed at the beginning of the second period with Spartans looking to find an avenue into the game however the Kelty defence was not in the mood for bearing gifts.

Perhaps one was offered on the hour mark when a penalty was awarded as Spartans defender and Kelty striker, whilst dancing away from the box towards the touchline, had a coming together of shoulders. The Kelty man tumbled, the Linesman furiously unfurled his flag, alerting the whistler to an apparent transgression, so serious, it warranted a free attempt from twelve yards. Austin didn’t need a written invitation and converted.

Just three minutes later, any hope of a way back into the match would have been unsurmountable even for England Ashes hero Ben Stokes when Stephen Husband drilled low from twenty yards to make it 4-0.

A double hit, became a triple whammy when a third in six minutes rubbed salt into the Spartans wounds as Cammy Russell rounded off the scoring with just over twenty minutes left on the proverbial stadium clock.